Niklas Lukassen: Live at The Vortex Jazz Club

It was a delight to hear Niklas Lukassen with a (nearly) new quartet delivering his album, ‘Still Waters’ at its UK launch.

Neame, Slavin, Lukassen. Maddren

Niklas was joined by an absolutely superb group of musicians, including Wanja Slavin, one of the two sax players on Still Waters. Their mastery of Lukassen’s complex and dynamic compositions was matched by Ivo Neame (bass) and James Maddren (drums) on top form.

It was great to hear a slightly different version of the album tracks and to see Niklas’s truly brilliant and inventive bass playing in person. Read my review of the album here.

Intent concentration throughout from Niklas

I last saw Maddren with Julian Arguelles at the 606 Club (read my review here) and my next task is to hear his trio with Niklas and Gwilym Simcock (who was also on the Arguelles gig).

Still Waters is on Kurt Rosenwinkel’s Heartcore Records. He also adds guitar to some of the tracks. The more pared-down version of the tracks was highly effective live and added a different flavour and textures. Although Slavin was obviously having problems with leaky pads or sticky keys on his alto sax at the Vortex, his playing is extraordinary - another new discovery for me.

These intuitive players produced dynamic textures and rhythmic complexity that had a freedom rare in ensembles that are not used to performing regularly together. Neame’s piano improvisations particularly had an impetus of their own, responding delightfully to motifs from bass and sax.

As well as tunes from Still Waters, the quartet performed new work from the follow-up album that has yet to be recorded. Indeed, Day by Day was only finished hours before the gig: it’ll be interesting to see how that tune evolves.

Slavin’s sax worked particularly well on Karma, adapting the album arrangement that uses two saxes. I’m not sure how often he has worked with Neame or Maddren, but you would have been forgiven for thinking that the quartet has a long history. Niklas’s compositions, arrangements and band leading are exemplary: another London gig that brought together jazz musicians and influences from around the world.

‘Still Waters’ is out now: please check out live dates to see where you can buy the album direct